(Previous entry: Mar. 14.) Defense attorneys asked for over $1 million in sanctions at a hearing Monday. When Dr. Martindale first retracted his diagnoses, plaintiffs accused the defense of buying off the doctor and insisted the original diagnoses were correct; unfortunately for them, other doctors followed suit, and then the defense got access to the asbestors trust documents that were the smoking gun. Where's the brave plaintiffs' attorney who will take the cause of 10,000 people who have been falsely told they have silicosis (and who, apparently, were given X-rays by unqualified technicians (hired by plaintiffs' attorneys) who may have overexposed them to undue radiation)? (Neal Falgoust, "Silicosis attorneys want sanctions", Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Mar. 15; March 14 hearing transcript).

Judge Jack is expected to rule by the end of April, though she did issue a $50 sanction to an attorney whose cell-phone went off in court (pp. 36-37). As the attorneys debated appropriate sanctions, Judge Jack mused "I can sanction all the Plaintiff's lawyers to go to those doctors for the rest of their lives."